A Conundrum For No Lesser Mare

by TilxWexDie

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Main 6, Other, Princess Luna
Length: 2472

Twilight is in the Royal Library for a bit of light reading when she stumbles upon a mad letter by Starswirl the Bearded. The letter speaks of an unsolvable Puzzle Box that appears to have drove Starswirl mad. Will Twilight succumb to the madness?

While visiting the Princesses in Canterlot, Twilight stumbles upon a letter speaking of a puzzle that drove Starswirl the Bearded mad. The puzzle has been studied by all of the geniuses in Equestria but none can solve the box not even the Princesses can solve this mind-numbing atrocity. Will Twilight Sparkle finally solve the box and discover what secrets it holds or will she fall into the depths of madness just like Starswirl?

Published 2013-04-21 12:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-22 03:09:20 UTC

Arrival of the Box

To Whomever It May Concern,
This is the story of what transpired after the arrival of that damned puzzle box,

I strolled into the Royal Library and waved to the twin librarians Header and Footer just like always. They waved back as I sat down into my reserved table in a nook between the bookshelves.

I wondered,"What shall I read today?" "Perhaps, maybe another Astronomy guide or perhaps a whimsical parable,"

But I was interrupted in my pointless pondering by Header and Footer when they lugged a huge box onto the table.

They said breathlessly " A delivery--- for-- you--Starswirl,"

I looked at them rather strangely, for I was not expecting any packages. I asked "From who?"

They had finally caught their breath when Header replied " I don't rightly know, I was minding the counter when two delivery ponies brought it in," "They said the box was for you and they handed me a note and they placed the box on the ground and left,"

Header handed the note to me, I looked at the note and it read "To Starswirl the Bearded, may you be able to solve this damned puzzle box!! I flipped over the page to see if whoever sent this box had written their name on it but it was to no avail as the back was blank. I said thank you to Header and Footer for the delivery. I got up from my table and levitated the box all the way to my chambers.

As soon as I brought the box in I placed it down on the ground. I wiped sweat off my head with the back of my hoof levitating a box this heavy was mentally exhausting. I cast a reveal spell at the puzzle box to see if there were any malicious enchantments. But to my surprise there were none, not even a little hex. It appeared to be a made of the blackest ebony and the shiniest gold trimming. The box had six giant gemstones on the lid ,the order of the gemstones were Amethyst, Ruby, Amber, Emerald, Aquamarine, and Tazanite. The box even with the beautiful jewels still looked sinister After half-an-hour of walking around the box I finally plucked up the courage to touch it.

I chuckled at myself, "Starswirl you coward, how can you be afraid of a puzzle box,"

But in the back of my mind I knew something was off about it but I couldn't place my hoof on it. I looked on the side at the jumbled mess of tiles, which I deduced would form a picture. There was one rotatable circle puzzle on the other side. The circle puzzle had old magic runes I had seen before but could not remember what their meaning was I guessed you had to match them. I ran my hoof over the back of the box to check if there were anymore puzzles. I felt small ridges and walked to the back of it and there was a riddle. The riddle was, There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good. Under the riddle was a smooth bowl shaped groove. I moved the circle puzzle around to see what would happen. I felt a wave of cold pass over me as I rotated the puzzle around. I felt quite unlike myself when I stopped moving the puzzle.

Finally I laughed unusually maniacal, "Whoever made this box was quite the paranoid bastard,"

I started to feel uneasy, my stomach felt like it had just taken a plunge off of a cliff. I fought the urge to suddenly vomit when I heard a knock at the door.

I weakly said, "Come in," The door opened up and then the Princesses trotted in and asked if I was coming to dinner.

I smiled, "Of course I am," Even though I felt like vomiting I still wanted to go.

Princess Luna looked at me worriedly "Starswirl are you sure you want to come to dinner, you look a little pale,"

Princess Celestia kindly said " We could have someone bring you something to eat if your not feeling up to coming downstairs,"

I replied "No no I am perfectly fine, Come now let us trot on down to dinner shall we?"

As we walked on down the stairs I started to feel better. As I sat down at the Royal Table I felt normal again but now I had an itching thought in the back of my mind of what could possibly be in the box. The nagging thought just kept piercing and piercing through my other thoughts. I had not even payed attention to the Royal Sisters when they started to argue. When they asked me my opinion who I thought had a harder job.

I absently replied not even considering their childish question, "What do you think is in that box?"

Both of the princesses laughed about how random the question was.

Luna, always the darker one, said carelessly, "Probably somepony's corpse,"

Celestia gasped at how dark Luna's answer was, said nervously, Luna- I -doubt- that -perhaps -its --a --treasure or maybe- just-- an- ancient pony's -belongings,"

Luna giggled at how her older sister's demeanor had changed. She said through fits of giggles, " Tia I didn't know you were such a chicken," "Starswirl why are you so preoccupied with what is in the box?"

I finally said , Maybe its forgotten tomes or perhaps it is a dragon's treasure.

We all debated what was in the mysterious puzzle box until it was time for the princesses to do their jobs. I retired to my chambers for the night. I laid in bed staring at the box wondering what secrets it hid from the world.

I laid awake all night transfixed on, what the hell could possibly be in that damn box. As soon as I seen the sun starting to rise. I leapt out of bed to starting on working on the puzzles. I scoured thru all my collection of tomes to find out the runes meant, I tried to work on the slider puzzle but I could not find out what the picture was.

Days passed.

Soon weeks passed.

I stopped coming to dinner with the Princesses. I started taking my meals in my room. I started asking everypony I met on the street if they knew what the answer to the riddle was. I couldn't concentrate on anything else but the puzzle box.

Months passed

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE," I bellowed out hacking at the box with an axe.

None of my chops were doing any damage.

I finally stopped chopping to break down sobbing.

I could not stand to live anymore.

I plan to kill myself to be rid of this accursed box

And this is why I am writing down what happened to whomever it concerns

To be wary of the box

Sincerely yours,

Starswirl The Bearded

Twilight looked up from the letter with lite tears streaming down her face. Now knowing of her idol's descent into madness.
She felt determined to solve this box.

Author's Note

There is going to be another chapter just let me sleep for now. This my first attempt at a fan-fic so sorry for any errors or any out of character jumps. I would like some constructive criticism and please feel free to comment.

Discovery of the Box

Twilight Sparkle wiped the tears off of her face with a handkerchief ,now knowing of how the great and historical idol Starswirl the Bearded had plunged into madness over a puzzle box. Twilight wondered where the box could possibly be inside Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia never spoke of " a dangerous puzzle box. Twilight decided to go ask her for herself. As she took out the letter hidden inside the pages of an ancient runes book. Twilight left the Royal Library waving goodbye to the librarians in her time period, Dewey and Decimal, she made her way up out of the library onto the castle grounds.

She finally found her mentor speaking with a couple of nobles from Saddle Arabia outside the maze. Twilight politely waited while Princess Celestia was telling a joke about a griffon and a pegasus. When Twilight finally started to get impatient with the obnoxious nobles, so she cleared her throat awful loudly, --AHEM-- Princess stopped laughing with the nobles to notice her pupil standing beside her. The nobles mumbled about their business being finished.

Princess Celestia asked Twilight "What is wrong my little pony?"

Twilight removed the letter from her saddlebag and unfolded it and showed it to her mentor,

Twilight spoke, her voice oozing with curiosity, " What is this puzzle box Starswirl wrote about in this letter?" "And how did it drive him to this level of obsession?"

Princess Celestia eyes widened at the question, " Let me see this letter please,"

Princess Celestia eyes raced at reading the letter, a tear formed in the corner of her right eye, "Oh Starswirl my poor poor friend," mumbled the princess.

Twilight suddenly felt guilty she had never seen her teacher this way. Twilight continued to be silent as Celestia reread the letter.

Princess Luna strolled out onto the grounds and trotted over to Twilight and Celestia, Luna looked a her sister's watery eyes. She kindly asked, "What is bothering you sister?" "Did somepony sent a hateful letter?"

Celestia could hold her regal demeanor no longer she broke down sobbing, "Its-----Starswirl's------- suicide letter---he had-- hidden--it- away-- from-- us ,"

Twilight levitated her handkerchief over to Celestia " I'm sorry princess, I didn't know this letter would bother you so much," " I found it in a book of ancient runes," "Again I apologize but can either of you tell me what is this puzzle box that Starswirl speaks of?"

Princess Luna answered, "It was a puzzle box sent to Starswirl and I am quite sure you read the letter, It drove him mad," " He stopped coming down for meals, he started to take them inside his room," He became quite obsessed, he wouldn't speak of anything else"------Celestia started to cry a bit louder-------Luna put her hoof around her sister and continued on," "He started asking everypony if they knew the solution to the riddle on the back of the box," "Months passed and everypony in the castle would hear his insane howls of anguish and frustration in the middle of the night," "Finally Starswirl wouldn't eat anymore, he stopped talking anymore," "He just became a husk of the great pony he once was," " One morning we found him dead on the ground outside the castle it appeared he had thrown himself from his tower window," Luna's voice trailed off.

Twilight stuttered out, "How--can-a-puzzle--box," she finally straightened up her voice, " do such a thing," "I mean the way you talk about it you make it sound like it has ability to control and warp a pony's way of thinking," "That sort of thing -- I- mean I don't think you can cast a want it need it spell on something like that,"

Princess Celestia finally regained her regal composure, dried her eyes and replied, " I don't think it is a want it need it spell otherwise it would have shown when Starswirl casted a malicious enchantment reveal spell," "Twilight, Luna and I have attempted to solve this puzzle box ," " We have called every genius from the corner's of Equestria, none can solve the riddle or the circle puzzle on the side." " We have called in every expert on runes to solve the circle puzzle, We wrote letters to every mathematicians to take measurements to see if that would help solve the puzzles and artists to solve the sliding puzzle," "But every time somepony would spend more than two hours with the box they would become obsessive over and did not want to leave it's side,"

Twilight's eyes widened with curiosity " Can I see this puzzle box?"

Princess Celestia suddenly grew hysterical, "Why so I can lose you too?" "You will lose your mind the longer you work on the cursed puzzle box," "I have came close to losing my mind!" "Hell it caused Luna to go insane with the thoughts of what laid inside,-Celestia practically shouting now- IT CAUSED HER TO WAGE WAR AGAINST ME!!!" "LUNA THOUGHT I WAS HIDING THE ANSWERS FROM HER!!!"-Celestia grew even more hysterical -Luna began comforting Celestia.

Twilight never seen Celestia react to anything this way not even when Discord was terrorizing Equestria or when Queen Chrysalis was impersonating Candance. Twilight felt hurt after Luna had guards escort Celestia back into the castle.

Luna looked at Twilight and spoke softly " Maybe you will fall into madness or you will be able to solve this puzzle and end everypony's curiosity I do not know..." "You have shown time and time again that you are no mere unicorn," "That you are capable of extraordinary things," I will give you the key to Starswirl's study chambers on one condition that I summon your friends to help you," "We may need the Elements Of Harmony if the puzzle box is hiding some greater evil, I will send Spike a letter requesting him and the rest of your friends," "Also do not worry about Tia she will come to understand your curiosity and the task you have decided to take."

Twilight became worried about the task that had befallen on to her shoulders but her curiosity was greater than her feelings of cautiousness. So she graciously took the key that Luna produced out of thin air and bid farewell to her. As Twilight walked up the winding stairs to Starswirl's old study chambers she cursed at herself for taking a quest that so many before has tried and failed. When she arrived at the door and unlocked the door that had been sealed for a thousand years. Twilight' face widened with astonishment for she had never seen an object so beautifully entrancing and at the same time so hideously frightful. She wanted to get to work right away but she knew better than to rush ahead without her friends by her side. So Twilight decided to head back down to Royal Library and patiently wait for her friends to arrive.

Author's Note

I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter of my story. Comments would be much appreciated and constructive criticism please. I am going to try to get at least a thousand words a chapter. Also thanks for reading this chapter in this story of mine.